Safety stop for cigarette machines



w. E. MOLINS 1,813,811

SAFETY STOP FOB CIGARETTE MACHINES Filed Jan. 29. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1F u'ymZ M/ZMM MMMM July 7, 1931. w, MQLINS 1,813,811

SAFETY STOP FOR CIGARETTE MACHINES 1 Filed Jan. 29, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Patented July 7, 1931 units WALTER EVERETT MOLIDTS, OF LONDON, ENGLANDSAFETY $T01? FOB CIGARETTE MACHINES Application filed January 29, 1929,Serial No. 335,817, and in Great Britain February 3, 1928.

This invention relates to cigarette machinery and more particularly to atobacco hopper for feeding tobacco to a cigarette making machine.

The object of the invention is to provide means which will preventinjury to the machine should any hard foreign substance, for example, anail, nut or stone be present in the tobacco.

The invention comprises a tobacco feeding apparatus for use on acigarette making machine wherein the brushing roller is rotatablymounted so as to yield relatively to the combing roller for the purposedescribed.

The invention further comprises means actuated by the movement of theabove-mentioned roller for stopping the tobacco feed mechanism, or ifnecessary, declutching the machine from the main drive thereof.

The invention will be more particularly described with reference to theaccompanying drawings which show diagrammatically a hopper of the kinddescribed in British patent No. 249,575, with the apparatus comprisingthe subject matter of the present application applied thereto.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of one form of apparatus embodying theprinciples of the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the construction of one elementof the clutching mechanism.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of a further portion of theclutching mechanism; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the pawl shown in Figure 3.

Referring specifically to the drawings; the tobacco is-fed by a feedroller-1 rotating in the direction of the arrow to a carded combingroller 2 which in turn feeds the tobacco upwardly past a carded brushingroller 3. v The carded brushing roller 3 rotates in such a manner as toremove the superfluous tobacco from the surface of the roller 2, thuscontrolling the quantity of tobacco which passes. 59 The tobacco ispicked. from the surface of the combing roller 2 by a picker roller 4:and discharged on to the surface of the distributing rolier 5, fromwhich it is picked by another picker roller (not shown) and dischargedinto the filling channel of the cigarette machine.

in a hopper constructed according to the present invention the shaft 3acarrying the brushing roller 3 is supported in a pair of links 6 pivotedat 6a in the bracket 6?) instead of running in rigid bearings asheretofore. The roll-er is kept in its working position by means of thesprings 7 and stop 8. iVhenever a hard foreign body is fed to thebrushing roller the same swings outwardly to permit the body to passfreely, and thus prevents injury to the teeth of the carding, or anyother part of the machine.

The movement of the brushing roller 3 is used to operate clutchmechanism incorporated in the hopper drive so that the passage of theforeign body causes the hopper to come to a standstill.

The mechanism for stopping the hopper drive comprises links 9 connectedto the pivoted links 6 at one end and to pivoted levers 10 at the other.The levers 10 are secured to a spindle 11 mounted at the top ofthehopper and another lever 12-is connected to one end of the spindle 11and coupled by a link 13 to a pivoted latch 14:.

When the brushing roller 3 swings outwardly the link 13 is pulledupwards and the latch 14: disengages from a pin 15 mounted onthe stoparm 16. The arm 16 then rotates by gravity about its pivot 17 until itis arrested by the stop screw 18. The forward end of the stop arm 16then lies in the path of a pin 19 mounted on one arm of the driving pawl20, and as soon as the pin 19 contacts with the end of the stop arm, thepawl is turned about its pivot 21 and thrown out of gear with theratchet wheel 22 which drives the hopper mechanism. In Figure 3 of thedrawings the pawl is shown in dotted lines in the position which itoccupies when disengaged from the ratchet wheel 22 and it will be notedthat the pawl is maintained in this position by the spring 25 untilreset in engagement with the ratchet wheel 22.

The pawl is carried on a wheel 28 which is driven by belt 2 1- from themain drive of the cigarette machine. The pawl 20 is retained in eitherposition by means of the spring wh'ch engages on the faces of a squareprojection 26 on the pawl 20.

If desired, the pawl and ratchet mechanismmay be incorporated in themain drive of the machine so that the whole cigarette machine is stoppedwhenever the brushing roller 3 is displaced.

Other means may be used for causing the movement of the brushing rollerto stop the machine, without departing from the principle of theinvention.

It will be seen ther fore that by this invention an ellicient safetydevice is provided for tobacco hoppers for cigarette making machineswhich will prevent injury to the parts of the machine should a hardsubstance be fed between the combing and bushing rollers of suchmachine.

Vi hat 1 claim as my lllW-JIllJlOD and desire to secure by LettersPatent is 1. In a tobacco feeding apparatus for use on a cigarettemaking machine, the combination with a combing roller, of a cooperatingbrushing roller, and supporting means for said brushng roller yieldablyurging the latter into close proximity to the combing roller, whereby aforeign body in the tobacco passing between the combin roller and thebrushing roller will cause the tter to move away from the combing rolleragainst the action of said. means to prevent damage to the rollers.

2. In a tobacco feeding apparatus for use on a cigarette making machine,the combination with a combing roller, of a cooperating brushing roller,a movable support for said brushing roller, and yieldabl-e means actingon said support to bias the brushing roller to operative positionadjacent the combing roller, whereby a foreign body in the tobaccopassing between the combing roller and the brushing roller will causethe latter to move away from the combing roller against the action ofsaid means to prevent damage to the rollers.

3. In a. tobacco feeding apparatus for use on a cigarette makingmachine, the combination with combing roller, of a cooperating brushingroller, supporting means for said brushing roller urging the latter intoclose proximity to the combing roller, whereby a foreign body in thetobacco passing between the combing roller and the brushing roller willcause the latter to move away from the combing roller against the actionof said means to prevent damage to the rollers, and

1 means operable by said supporting means on movement of the brushinroller awa from the combing roller to discontinue the machine drive.

l. In a tobacco feeding apparatus for use on a. cigarette makingmachine, the c0mbination with a pair of rollers rotatable in oppositedirections and having their peripheries normally disposed in closeproximity to feed tobacco therebetween, of means for supporting one ofsaid rollers for movement away from the other roller whereby a foreignbody passing between said rollers will serve to shift the movablysupported roller to prevent damage to the rollers.

5. In a tobacco feeding apparatus for use on a cigarette making machine,the combination with a pair of rollers rotatable in opposite directionsand having their peripheries normally disposed in close proximity tofeed tobacco therebetween, of means for supporting one of said rollersfor movement away from the other roller whereby a foreignbc'dy passingbetween said rollers will serve to shift the movably supported roller toprevent damage to the rollers, and means associated with said movableroller and operable on shifting movement thereof to discontinue themachine drive.

6. In a tobacco feeding apparatus for use -011 a cigarette makingmachine, the combination with a pair of rollers rotatable in oppositedirections and having their peripheries normally disposed in closeproximity to feed tobacco therebetween, of means for supporting one ofsaid rollers for movement in substantially the direction of feed of thetobacco and away from the other roller, and yielding means for retainingsaid movable roller in normal position whereby a foreign body pass ingbetween said rollers will serve to shift the movably supported roller toprevent damage to the rollers.

7. In a tobacco feeding apparatus for use on a cigarette making machine,the combination with a pair of rollers rotatable in opposite directionsand having their peripheries normally disposed in close proximity tofeed tobacco therebetween, of means for supporting one of said rollersfor swinging movement away from the other roller in substantially thedirection of feed of tobacco, yielding means for retaining said movableroller in normal position whereby a foreign body pass ing between saidrollers will serve to shift the movably supported roller to preventdamage to the rollers, and means operable by move ment ofsaid movableroller to discontinue the rotation of said rollers.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

VVALTER EVERETT MOLINS.

